A maximum one-thousand-word essay regarding applicant’s leadership experience, community service involvement and future plan; and

References from previous direct supervisors from work or community leaders, or academic advisors/teachers. Two references are required for President’s Scholarship; one reference is required for Dean’s Scholarship. References must be original and completed on the UWest Fellowship and Scholarship Reference Form and provided in a sealed envelope signed by the referee.

Application Deadline is April 1.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all documents are submitted on time. Applications submitted after the above-mentioned deadline will only be considered under exceptional circumstances if funds are still available.

Award:

Award will be used to cover full tuition up to 15 units for undergraduate students and 12 units for graduate students each semester awarded (Fall and Spring only). The award is for tuition only and does not cover any fees or expenses required for attendance.

The award is made in the form of tuition waiver. No money will be paid to the student.

Award amounts may vary depending on the how many units of courses the student registers for. Examples of award calculations for each Fall and Spring semester are as follows:

Undergraduate

Unit

Business/Psychology/Religious Studies/Language

12

$5,256

15

$6,570

Graduate

Unit

Business

Psychology

Buddhist Chaplaincy Program

Religious Studies

9

$4,689

$4,752

$4,626

$4,581

12

$6,252

$6,336

$6,168

$6,108

*Based on 2016-2017 tuition rates.

The number of scholarships awarded will be determined by the President’s Office every year.

Term of Award:

This scholarship is an annual award that covers Fall and Spring semesters only. Summer sessions are not included. Recipients are subject to a mid-year progress review during the first two weeks of the Spring semester (see below).

Eligibility:

This scholarship is available to continuing degree-seeking students at UWest. ESL students or students seeking a certificate only are not qualified for this scholarship.

To qualify for the scholarship, a student must carry a full-time credit load. That is defined as registering for, and successfully completing, a minimum of 12 units each semester (24 units per academic year) for undergraduates and 9 units each semester (18 units per academic year) for graduate students. A student must be pre-registered at the full-time credit level before the award can be made available. Exceptions to this full-time enrollment rule may be made through an appeal process for students in their final semester.

The minimum required GPA is 3.75 for graduates and 3.5 for undergraduates.Exceptions may be made based on individual cases. Students who have a GPA lower than the minimum requirements may still be considered for scholarship acceptance if they are able to demonstrate distinguished strength in other evaluation criteria.

Scholarship Criteria:

Leadership - Demonstrate initiative in making constructive contributions to UWest and/or the wider community. This may include suggestions and/or organization of activities that have led to curriculum, institutional, or community improvements.

Service – A demonstrated record of service activities that contribute to the well-being of UWest and/or the wider community.

During the first two weeks of the Spring semester, recipients of the scholarship will be reviewed for eligibility based on their enrollment status and academic progress. Recipients may be disqualified from the scholarship if the eligibility and scholarship criteria are no longer met.

Other Important Terms and Conditions:

This scholarship is non-transferable and may not be delayed or postponed.

This scholarship is to be used only for classes required by the student’s program of study or applicable to graduation from their program of study.

This scholarship cannot be awarded in conjunction with the Dean’s Scholarship, Buddha’s Light Fellowship, Lotus Scholarship, IBEF Scholarship, or UWest Scholarship. A student must return the scholarship fund if other scholarship money is received.

A scholarship recipient may become disqualified after the award is made if his or her enrollment status changes during the term of award, in which case the student must return the scholarship fund received.

Should an award be declined or returned, the Financial Aid Committee may apply that award to another qualified and vetted applicant.